


Heart of Stars

by Katrina



Category: Bleach
Genre: Did much better here, I do love the sea of AUs, M/M, No beta we die like mne, No loss of powers, Non-canon from the point of Gin trying to murder Aizen, Off the cliffs of canon again, Post-Winter War (Bleach)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:20:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25273045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katrina/pseuds/Katrina
Summary: Letting Aizen escape from the Winter War was a mistake. Urahara Kisuke and Kurosaki Ichigo both agree on that.Too bad nobody else in power seemed to think so. Which leaves them on their own when the man attacks again, and Urahara reconnects to the Hogyoku in a way he didn't expect.
Relationships: Kurosaki Ichigo/Urahara Kisuke
Comments: 3
Kudos: 57





	Heart of Stars

The battle was not a surprise. Aizen had been missing for months. It was obvious now he spent those months creating. Since he decided when the next battle was going to happen, he was prepared. Even if Soul Society was not. Much to Urahara Kisuke’s great annoyance.

While they had managed to win the battle in winter, driving the other off injured and minus most of his people, Kisuke knew that it was not the end. While some people tried to claim there was no way the man could have survived the damage Ichigo caused, anyone with sense knew he would be back. Like any good villain. 

Kisuke was tempted to throw his hands up and let Aizen deal with all of them. Except he really, really disliked the man. It might even border on hate, but he tried not to feel that sort of emotion. It muddied the mind.

Ichigo made him choke by asking how so many people could have been dropped on their heads as children. 

But what Soul Society had taken to calling the Winter War was only the first real battle. 

What had gone on with the Hogyoku, he still had no idea. Aizen had bragged of bending the item to his will, but that couldn’t be accurate. If that was the case, he wouldn’t have almost died at Gin’s hand. Then almost died a second time when Ichigo attacked before he healed fully. 

Gin was technically imprisoned, but he was under guard of one of the squads, given the fact he was the one who did do such damage to Aizen. Kisuke didn’t care too much, other than having a very long talk with the other man. Information was information, after all. 

The party that assaulted Las Noches had done a great deal of damage to Aizen’s army left behind, and the shinigami who had battled in fake Karakura Town had done some as well. Aizen did enough to deal with the rest of his troops. 

Kisuke had recommended tracking down the man and finishing the job before he could recover. 

Yamamoto had declined. Too many of their own were injured to be able to go after Aizen and to continue their regular duties. Kisuke never wanted to strangle the old man more. Which was impressive, as he had wanted to do it regularly for years. 

That choice was what led them to this. No warning, no taunting, just the skies opening over Karakura and dozens of arrancar pouring out. 

This was an all hands on duty situation. He left Tessai to rouse the shinigami, and tore out after Ichigo and his friends. 

Because they wouldn’t stand aside and let their town burn. 

He was happy he had made the effort to collect all of Ichigo’s friends who wanted to know how to fight and taught them. Not the big flashy things, that would never work. That would be like teaching Hiyori how to be a simpering noble. No, he found things that suited their talents and skills. 

In doing so, he dug up a lot of old training that would probably get him killed simply because he was teaching it to others. 

That didn’t matter, as long as it gave them a chance to survive. Not all were fighters. Some were much better suited for support, and he left them to it. They’d help the civilians while he was busy elsewhere.

He was a fighter. 

Front line combat was not his preferred method. If he had the choice, Kisuke would have much rather hunted Aizen down and slit his throat. Not let him build his strength back up. 

Next time, he was going to listen to his own instincts and tell Yamamoto to fuck off. 

He joined in just in time to take off the arm of someone making a grab for Orihime. Seemed like they were targeting the healer. Smart. She had gotten better about proper defense, and so he wasn’t needed there for long. A rain of arrows dealt with the last few. Nodding at the Quincy, Kisuke took off again. Orihime and Ishida worked well together, and ranged combat was their strength. 

He continued forward, passing over Tatsuki and Chad. It warmed the heart to see them taking in the basics and applying them. Partnering up was just smart when you were dealing with large amounts of enemies. He was so proud of them. 

But Kisuke’s attention was focused on the roiling knot of reiatsu that threatened everything in its space. There were Aizen, watching as several of his creations and Ichigo battled, blades flashing against each other. Around them was a healthy space where most creatures did not dare tread. Only the strongest fought Ichigo. The weak would simply dissolve from the pure force Aizen and Ichigo put out. 

Kisuke had no such fear. 

He was slowed down by some of the mass that Aizen had brought with him. Either they were there to keep anyone from getting close, or they had been looking for him. They swarmed at him, and Kisuke was very thankful he kept up his own training. He broke free easily enough, heading for the main battle. 

In his chest, he felt himself being tugged forward. There was nothing else he could call it. Something there pulled at him, and he was sure this was going to be something important. He knew it for a fact, with the way that beat deep in his soul as he got closer. 

Not something he could deal with at the moment. All of his attention was getting up there to watch Ichigo’s back. 

Benihime took off the arm and head of one of the arrancar, and he smiled. “Ah, Ichigo-san. You were late for our date. Now I find you playing with some other man.”

The nose wrinkle he got for that was totally worth the huff he also got. 

“He’s not blond enough for me,” Ichigo replied lazily, taking out an arrancar of his own. This lot seemed weaker than the last army Aizen had brought. But it might just be in Kisuke’s head. After all, he did only face a few on his own. 

That didn’t mean they didn’t make up for it with numbers. The arrancar swarmed. This wasn’t too difficult to deal with, as they were not too coordinated. They got in each other's way. Just as well, it was hard to track all of them. The entire scene was madness, and he could feel Ichigo curling his reiatsu in tight. He braced himself, ready to stand by Ichigo. He knew what the other was doing. 

He was about to turn himself into a reiatsu bomb, really. Clear the space around them and get some room. 

Kisuke just had to give him the chance to get it together. 

He knocked aside one blade, cut through a neck with a smooth continuation of the same stroke, and tossed a kido off with another flick of fingers. 

The next split second was in a series of images. A more animalistic arrancar about to bring claws down on Ichigo’s skull. A flash of a zanpakuto, with Aizen smiling behind it. The realization he could stop one. He couldn’t grab Ichigo. He could dodge the attack, or he could defend Ichigo. Dodging left Ichigo open to either the claws, or Aizen redirecting his strike.

There really wasn’t any choice. 

He felt Benihime glide through the arrancar’s arm, even as Kyoka Suigetsu slid home. 

Kisuke felt the shock radiate from Ichigo. It was almost stronger than the blade in his chest. In front of him, Aizen smirked for a moment. Only for that moment. Then he arched his back, light glowing under the darkening skin of his chest. Whatever it was, the other man obviously had no idea, not with how confused his eyes were.

Reiatsu boiled around Kisuke. Redblack -rage- behind him. And black full of stars in front of him. 

The world exploded.

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure how long this will be. Got a lot of ideas currently, so I'm trying to work them out. 
> 
> Originally posted on my [Tumblr](https://ramblingkat.tumblr.com/) before being cleaned up for here. So if you follow that, you probably saw this yesterday. But it's been edited and hopefully cleaned up.


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